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Topic: I need some help with micro controllers (Read 1712 times)

Hi, I am new to the robotics scene, I am a EET (Electrical Engineering Tech) student at YSU (Youngstown State University) in Youngstown OH. I am building my first robot and have it mostly sketched out on Autodesk's sketch pad program which I plan on moving to AutoCAD when I get the bugs I can see worked out. It is a design which is inspired by the $50 robot in the beginners section of this site. My question is I have taken a first class on the Intel 8085 Microprocessor which I will be taking more classes on in the future for my BSS. I was wondering if I should use an 8085 based Micro-controller for this first robot, or should I use something like the Axon which is more powerful? I plan on building more robots in the future so I may want the more powerful controller but, I am familiar with the 8085 what do you all think.

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I shall be telling this with a sighSomewhere ages and ages hence:Two roads diverged in a wood, and I–I took the one less traveled by,And that has made all the difference.

Hi, I am new to the robotics scene, I am a EET (Electrical Engineering Tech) student at YSU (Youngstown State University) in Youngstown OH. I am building my first robot and have it mostly sketched out on Autodesk's sketch pad program which I plan on moving to AutoCAD when I get the bugs I can see worked out. It is a design which is inspired by the $50 robot in the beginners section of this site. My question is I have taken a first class on the Intel 8085 Microprocessor which I will be taking more classes on in the future for my BSS. I was wondering if I should use an 8085 based Micro-controller for this first robot, or should I use something like the Axon which is more powerful? I plan on building more robots in the future so I may want the more powerful controller but, I am familiar with the 8085 what do you all think.

Good Lord. Why is the 8085 still used for teaching? That is soooo long in the tooth.

What you learn on the 8085 gives you a reasonable basis for understanding microprocessors/microcontrollers. If you are assigned George Orwell's Animal Farm in a literature class for learning about literature, it is meant as a base for reading more/other literature, not as an absolute limit to reading only works by George Orwell. Likewise, use the 8085 as a jumping off point to learn about other microprocessors/microcontrollers.

Look into the $50 design with an AVR parts list (or the $15 kit by CircuitGizmos), the Arduino, The Roboduino, the Bare Bones Board, the Axon... you will be torturing yourself to build an 8085-based board.

There is the problem. Educators are going horribly wrong by keeping the use of a 30+ old MPU in schools. Why don't they send students out with more knowledge and experience with more widely used controllers... such as AVR's, PIC's, and the like. But I am not going to say that it isn't bad to understand how to use them.

Why don't they send students out with more knowledge and experience with more widely used controllers... such as AVR's, PIC's, and the like.

I've learned embedded computing with Intel 8051, and it was in 2000/2001. When I started to play with AVR last year, I had to peruse the datasheet to understand the architecture and the registers, but that was it. I knew the basic concepts (timers, interrupts, ...) and these are common to most of the mictro-controllers, even the old ones. My point is, I was taught embedded electronics, not 8051 programming. The 8051 was just an example we used. IMHO, what makes a good engineer is the ability to learn and grasp new concepts quickly.

The only reason to switch to AVR or PIC would be to allow student to work outside the labs. But from what I've seen, motivated students are ready and able to use something different at home. Unmotivated ones won't work outside the lab anyway and changing lab equipment is not cheap !